Today we’d like to introduce you to John Murray.
Hi John, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I began singing and playing instruments at the tender age of 4. My Mother was an associate Minister and my Father was a Trustee in our hometown church in New Jersey. With me being raised there I learned to sing, play guitars and developed a strong love for music and worship. It wasn’t long before I was singing in the choir and playing in the church band. This led me to an amazing musical experience of playing, singing and recording with various groups through the years. Music brought me to Philadelphia in 1986. While in Philly I continued to work and minister in music. In 2002, I started a choir based out of Philadelphia called, “John Murray & Worship”. My choir would perform original Praise & Worship Music and traveled the country for several years. One day a well-known Pastor in Philadelphia heard my choir and reached out to me for a meeting. At the meeting he asked if I would take leadership of his Praise & Worship Department at their new location. This was my first hired position as a Worship Director. In 2007, I received a call from a good friend asking me to come to DFW to be looked at and interviewed for the Director of Worship position at The Potters House of Dallas. That assignment took me from Philadelphia all the way to DFW. I worked for The Potters House for seven years. At the end of my tenure there at the PH, I took a break for a while. My wife happened to meet a Young Lady at a concert we went to and she began to ask about me and what I did. After my wife told her, she said OMG, the Worship Pastor at my church had to go home and help to take over his sick Father’s church. Then she asked, “Do you think John would be interested in meeting my Pastor?” When the Pastor found out he said, “Can you get them here right away? I would like to meet with him and his wife!” Exactly one month later, I was Worship Pastor at a multi-cultural church in Keller. Working at this church fulfilled a major dream for us. Having already gone to Brazil several times, it allowed us to go to Vietnam to do missionary work. I was blessed to start the many music trips that would follow. I worked there for nine years until I became ill with kidney failure. I was on dialysis for two years and received my new kidney on May 20th, 2025. My donor was a sweet Sister who we met there at the Keller church. I true WOW moment! I know that was a lot but there is so much more to the story. Hopefully we can talk about it. Thanks so much for your time and attention. Blessings to you and your staff! JM
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been smooth. Along with promotion comes much change. *Being told by my wife’s doctor that we will never have children. *Having to leave friends, family and my comfort zone to fulfill destiny. *Learning to work in and with other cultures. *Becoming sick and having to leave what I love long before I felt I was done. *Fighting heart failure on dialysis. *At first being denied a transplant because of my failing heart. *Receiving transplant calls with arrangements that feel apart.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Worship Pastor, Minister, Writer, Vocalist, Musician, and Content Creator. *Minister- I’ve been a minister for 20 plus years. *Writer- I’ve written songs for Tamela Mann (Lord We Are Waiting), Myron Butler and Levi (Speak – Into The Atmosphere), *I have played guitars on countless live concerts and studio sessions. (Patti LaBelle, Lady Tramaine Hawkins, Hezekiah Walker, John P Kee, Richard “Clean” White, Bishop TD Jakes’ “Woman Thou Art Loosed 2011” and I also played guitar on Kirk Franklin’s song “Love Theory”), *I have a podcast on YouTube called, “Matters From The Heart” where my assignment is to bring positiveness, inspiration and encouragement into the lives of others. I have three albums of original music, (“Heart Of A Worshipper” – John Murray & Worship, “Majesty Deluxe”, and “Concerning U”)
How do you think about luck?
I really don’t believe in luck. I operate with the understanding that God is in control of all things and can make something beautiful out of. any situation, good or bad. I often say, “Life is not always fair but God is always good!” I have learned to enjoy the good days but it has been in stormy times when I have learned who He is and how much He really loves me. “If God allows it, He can take us through it!” Anyone He allows us to encounter works into His plan for us. Whether it’s a homeless person on the street or a wealthy king, I treat everyone the same. We are all God’s children.
Pricing:
- Call 469-835-0210 to get your guitars recorded.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnnie_murray/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmworship/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-murray-882575120/
- Twitter: https://x.com/MinOfWorship
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@JohnMurrayWorship
